Matt Amadio of the Fleeting Ends

I find this quite interesting—Me on the MD website? I come here to read about my favorite drummers, like Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, and Buddy Rich, not myself! I am truly excited to be a part of the MD blog and to tell you a little bit about myself.

I’m co-writer in my band the Fleeting Ends and I have a great love for singing and melody, so it’s difficult to describe myself as just a drummer. I play many different instruments and enjoy them all, but I can safely say that I’m most comfortable playing drums.

Any drummer can tell you about the feeling of being in the groove. Whether you’re in your garage rehearsing, recording in the studio, or performing on stage, when you find the groove it’s a blissful feeling. I strive for that whenever I sit at my set. You can be a little ahead, a little behind, or right in the pocket. It all depends on who you’re jamming with.

I’ve played drums with the Fleeting Ends for the past four years, and I still haven’t perfected our groove yet. We recorded a full-length LP in 2009 and an EP and a single in 2011. I considered myself a bit of an amateur during those recordings, but I somehow made it through. On our latest full-length LP, Our Eyes Are Peeled, I feel I came closest to finding the groove.

The group decided to record all the album’s rhythm tracks to tape. I was accustomed to recording digitally, which takes some of the pressure off, because digital tracks can be so easily moved and manipulated. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Every time I sit down at the set, I want to nail a perfect take from start to finish. It doesn’t always happen. In fact, it’s quite rare. All of my favorite drummers recorded to tape—why couldn’t I?

I had twelve tracks to lay drums on, and I finished them in four days. I don’t know if that’s a short amount of time, the right amount of time, or way over the limit. I just know that in those four days I played my heart out and gave it all I had. At times I thought I was floating above my drumset. I remember closing my eyes and getting lost in the tracks while simultaneously keeping the groove.

Did I finally get there? I don’t know, but I think I got pretty damn close. Our Eyes Are Peeled is the best representation of me as a drummer. I’m proud of what I have accomplished on the album. But more so, I’m proud of what the Fleeting Ends has accomplished. If you want to know what kind of drummer I am please check out the album